Yugoslavia

A cinematic tradition in the lands inhabited by Southern Slavs has evolved
under various political divisions, of which Yugoslavia covers the longest
time span. The film legacy of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
is also crucial to the formation of national cinemas of several states,
such as Serbia and Montenegro, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Slovenia, and
Macedonia. The term "Yugoslavia," which came into use in
1929, designates here a territorial, linguistic, and cultural entity
rather than a country.

Indigenous filmmaking in Yugoslavia emerged in the first two decades of
the twentieth century, producing shorts, scenics, and documentaries often
ethnographic in nature. Local pioneers included Karol Grosmann and Metod
Badjura (1896–1971) in Slovenia, the Manaki brothers (Yanaki and
Milton) in Macedonia, and Josip Karaman, and Josip Halla in Croatia. In
Serbia, Svetozar Botorić (1857–1916), in collaboration with
the French company Pathé, produced the first feature-length film,
Život i dela besmrtnog vožda Karadjordja
(
The Life and Work of the Immortal Leader Karadjordje
, 1911). Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, the establishment of several
production companies—specializing mainly in documentaries and
sporadic feature films—was not enough to create a film industry.
Among the notable films of that period are the Serbian
Sa verom u Boga
(
In God We Trust
, Mihajlo Al. Popović, 1932), the Slovenian
V kraljestvu zlatoroga
(
In the Kingdom of the Goldhorn
, Janko Ravnik, 1931), and films by the Croat, Oktavijan Miletić
(1902–1987), and the Macedonian, Blagoja Drnkov. A film industry in
Yugoslavia emerged only after the World War II.